Happy Halloween

From our littlest pumpkin.  This is what you get to do when it's 80 degrees the last week of October.

(He took a few minutes to get used to the pumpkin costume idea.)

Three Little Monkeys

They're great at getting up there, but for my two, coming down is another story,

New Skills

(I think he knows he's funny.)

Fall is Flying By

 I can't believe how fast this month is going.  I love fall--love the weather, love the activities, but I'm not loving how busy its been.  I want more time to really enjoy it.  But better too busy than bored, right?

So here's a peak at some of what we've been doing the last week or so:

 Bug had Founder's Day at the preschool last week.  I missed it last year (we'd just started at school the week before so I hadn't heard about it and that morning, I think I was still in my pj's when I dropped him off and was in a hurry to go back home so I could throw up again.), so he's been reminding me of it for a month.  And he still panicked that morning when he thought I'd gone home and wasn't going to make it back in time.

 The kids made hats the day before, and then do a little parade out to the tree they planted in honor of the two women who started the preschool 10 years ago.  It's very lowkey and fun--just right for this age.

 At home, we've been working on Halloween decorations.  Thanks to pinterest (my new-found obsession), I found a couple fun decorating ideas I wanted to try.  The kids were skeptical of the jack-o-lantern in the window ("Why aren't you cutting out a round pumpkin?  They're always round!"), but once they saw it up, they were really excited.  (Except then the bulb burned out in that room, and I only think of it at night when its too dark to change the bulb, so we haven't had it on for the last couple nights).

 This wreath was more of a solo project, although Bug did help out for about 5 minutes before declaring it was too hard.  Also found on pinterest.  It is the product of a two naptimes and two romance novels that have somehow found their way into my house that I had no intention of ever reading, a little ribbon and a piece of black paper. Oh, and a half price straw wreath.  Pretty simple

 A little tee ball action.  Bug is not the most teachable ("I don't need to take lessons, I already know how to ______" Fill in that blank with anything that he's even been introduced to.), so we've struggled with learning how a tee is supposed to work, but he's getting the idea slowly.  He's actually doing okay hitting balls pitched to him, too.  His stance is pretty funny, but its cute and maybe someday he'll be willing to listen to us, or even look at us as we try to demonstrate.

 We've also been doing a lot of baking.  Fall is always baking time in my mind.  Only problem is that this year, I can't eat any of it.  But that hasn't stopped me from making homemade everything, including these pumpkin shaped "Ritz" crackers.  It's hard when I start researching all this food stuff, and completely overhauling my diet for one kid, to then keep feeding the other two a bunch of processed junk.  So we haven't been.  But they also don't want to just eat meat and veggies, which leaves me baking and cooking way more than normal, trying to keep the houes stocked with snacks and things that I feel good about giving them.  We've made granola bars, lots of muffins, an oatmeal bar (that's really a less-sweet cookie, but I pretend that its healthy), crackers, and lots of breads.  I haven't been able to taste any of it, but I hear most of the things have been pretty good.  And these crackers, while not exactly a Ritz, have been enjoyed.  Especially the ones I used to serve up some monster faces (I'm telling you, I should have named this post Pinterest Obsession).

 We've also been doing a lot of reading.  Magic Treehouse is the series of choice these days.  I love it that Bean can read to the boys (and love that Henry is fascinated enough with the kids, no matter what they are doing, that I can plop him down for a few minutes.)

Finally, you know how people always say that someday you'll miss the finger prints on the windows and the toys strewn around the house?  Well, I don't know if I'll really miss that stuff, but as I was cleaning the other morning, I did realize that I'll miss coming across notes like this that turn up  randomly all the time because my little boy loves me :)  Maybe Daddy-o will have to leave me love notes around the house at that point.  He's really going to miss these kids, too!

5 Months

More smiles, all the time, from our happy little guy.  I took him in for a weight check today--12 lbs 8 oz.  Wan't quite as much as I was hoping for, but he's following his 3% curve, which actually made the doctor we saw happy.  I'd love it if we could get him to gain more than a pound this next month, but we'll see.

He is loving his hands these days.  Hard to know if he's starting to teeth because he just drools incessantly and is chewing and sucking on his hands, but he's not fussy about it, so for one of our kids, it doesn't sound like teething (they usually let us know when those things are breaking through!)

He is also loving watching the dog(s).  We're dogsitting this week and I don't know if its having the two of them runnig around or if he just finally noticed Molly, but they are making him laugh a lot.

He is also rolling both ways, sitting up in the Bumbo pretty well, and talking up a storm.  No good progress on sleeping, in fact he's gotten worse since I started waking him for an extra feeding before I go to bed, but I hope he'll straighten out here soon.  He's still just such a happy little Peanut!

Fun on the Farm

A friend invited a bunch of us to go to a farm for a hayride the other day.

Bug likes to get together with his preschool friends outside of school, and on non-preschool days, we really need the outdoor time to help wear him out.

 Besides the hayride, they ran around in a corn maze, jumped in a bounce house, and climbed up on a huge hay bale.

 Little bit of teamwork required.

It was an absolutely beautiful day.  Fall is such a welcome change from the hot, humid summer weather and there are still plenty of nice days for playing outside.

Making Lemonade

Columbus Day weekend was supposed to be our annual beach weekend in Hilton Head.  We love it down there, and are always excited to spend a few days at the beach, but as we got closer to the date, we realized we had a problem.  Peanut will NOT sleep in the car.  If he's napped and been fed, then he's pretty happy to watch the kids in the back seat for about an hour, but then he starts getting tired, and that's when the fussing starts.  And then the crying which quickly turns to purple-faced screaming.

So, the 4.5 hour drive wasn't sounding too fun.  Even if we had a great weekend, we'd still have the trip home, which would undo any relaxation that we'd managed to enjoy.

The kids were devestated when they found out we probably wouldn't be going, so we decided to do something fun to make up for the cancelled trip. . .

For anyone who hasn't heard of these, The Great Wolf Lodge is a hotel chain with an indoor waterpark inside the hotel.  It's totally geared towards kids (and sucking all your money out of your wallet--kind of like Disneyland), and the biggest selling point: there is one really close to us.

The kids loved it!  From the room which had their own little cave with bunkbeds: 

 To the waterpark, where we spent HOURS. . .

 they had fun playing on the obstacles,

 climbing around in the fort,

 and going down the waterslides.

 We actually couldn't believe how brave they both were.  Bean went on every single one, including the Howlin' Tornado

 It's pretty much as scary as it looks (even for me--I was the lucky one who went backwards as you drop into the halfpipe.)  That was the only one Bugaboo wasn't tall enough for, but he went on all the rest and had a blast.  Peanut, of course, was too small for everything, but Daddy-o and I took turns hanging out with him, and I even snuck home with him for a few hours so he could get a good nap in, one of the benefits of vacationing near home.

We also spent a lot of time in the wave pool.  These kids were non-stop for a few hours the first day, and then from 10-5 the next day.  And when they were done in the water, there was a little show out in the lobby and storytime.

 That was when we could see how tired they were getting.  Bug asked to be carried back to the room afterwards and was begging for his bed. 

 Monday night was even worse.  We know its been a fun trip when this is the face we get when its time to go home.

 It really was a very fun 28 hours, and the best part--only 15 minutes to get home!

My Day by the Hours

I've been feeling like its almost impossible for me to keep up with everyday life, let alone get to all the projects and fun things I'd like to do.  But then I broke down my day and started feeling a little better.
8.5 hours in bed each night (Note:  This doesn't translate to 8.5 hours of sleep each night)
2.5 hours feeding Peanut (not counting the night feeds)
2-3 hours fixing meals
1.5 hours getting everyone ready in the morning and packing lunches
1.5 hours in the car for school runs
1.5 hours eating
1-2 hours helping Peanut go to sleep/stay asleep
1 hour breaking up fights supervising kids

That leaves me somewhere between 2.5-4.5 hours to do laundry, dishes, clean, take care of the dog, exercise, spend time with Daddy-o, run errands, help Bean with homework, read with the kids,  research health issues and food requirements, keep up with family and friends, etc. . .  Luckily, some of these things can be multitasked, while I'm feeding Peanut, or cooking, or eating, but really, its no wonder I don't feel like I'm getting much done these days!
Luckily, I am finding it a lot easier this time around to remember that this is just a short while in my life.  Life probably isn't going to get any less busy, but I won't be spending hours feeding a baby each day or getting woken up more often than I'd like at night for very long in the big picture.  And I really will miss it (well, maybe not the getting woken up at night, but I do like snuggling with my little guy.)

And all those projects, they'll be there, or I will have realized they aren't really that important and will have moved on to the next great idea.

Baby Update and Food for the Weary

(I seriously love the crazy bedhead this kid gets!)

All the lab results are back and Peanut doesn't have any glaring health issues (thank goodness!)  And the lactation consultant couldn't find anything really wrong on my end (after initially terrifying me with some mis-information that suggested my milk was extremely low calorie).  It's a little frustrating because that means there isn't really any explanation for WHY.  I'm still going to see about going to an allergist in case they can shed any light on the situation.

In the meantime, I'm feeding Peanut constantly and sticking to my diet of no sugars or starches.  It's still early days, but I think I'm seeing a little improvement in the poop end of things and we'll go in for a weight check in the next week or so.

I have found some good recipes that help me to not feel quite so deprived even though I haven't had a piece of bread in almost 6 weeks, not to mention desserts.  Sprouted Lentil Burgers (even Daddy-o liked these, although he got to eat his on a homemade bun, so what's not to like?); Chicken Fajitas made with mushrooms, bell pepper, zuchini, onion, and tomatoes; Almond Flour Pumpkin Ginger Muffins; and even Pumpkin Waffles with blueberries.

Don't be fooled.  The baked goods aren't really anything like the real thing, but they do in a pinch.  It helps to be able to have a muffin from my stash after making the rest of the family Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread or homemade Hamburger Buns.

The Pumpkin Bread is worth posting here--I've tweaked this recipe over the years and have it at a place where it feels a little healthful, and is really good.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
 1 3/4 C. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 C. all purpose flour
1.5 C. granulated sugar
3/4 C. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 C. solid pack pumpkin
2/3 C. water
1/2 C. oil
1/2 C. applesauce
4 eggs
Chocolate chips to taste (I use about 3/4 C. for a light spattering.)

Grease and flour three small loaf pans, or one large loaf pan and a 12 count muffin pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Measure flours, sugars, baking soda, salt, and spices into large bowl.  Stir to blend.  Add pumpkin, water, oil, applesauce, and eggs.  Beat until well combined.  Stir in chocolate chips (or I like to add them to the tops of the muffins and barely push them in so the kids can see them, but I can get away with only putting a few in each muffin.)  Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaf for about 1 hour, muffins for about 20 min, just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Couple tips:  I haven't tried this yet with this recipe, but I've found lately that a little maple syrup can replace the sugar (especially good for replacing brown sugar) and adds lots of flavor (or so I hear--Daddy-o has really liked some of the muffins and cookies I've made this way).

These muffins freeze really well.  I've been making these and zuchini muffins and freezing big batches so I have things to send in the kids lunches that are exciting to them, but also still kind of good for them.  Same thing with some oatmeal "bars" (they really are a cookie, but I'm pretending they count as a granola bar because they are certainly healthier than any store-bought granola bar and while cookies are strongly discouraged from both kids schools, granola bars are allowed.)  Since I can't eat any of this stuff, its easier on me to spend a morning baking up a couple weeks worth of treats and then just freeze them all.  And since I've been forced into making everything from scratch for myself, I feel funny feeding my kids food full of preservatives and colors and all the other junk that has taken over the grocery stores.  But that is a whole other topic that I probably shouldn't even get started on.